Winter Prayers

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)

One evening, several years ago, my end-of-the-day prayer was, “Lord, I’m so tired.” His quick answer was, “I’ll take care of it.” Too tired to understand I fell asleep. The next morning, the land was covered with deep, wet snow. Schools and businesses closed, and I was grateful for a no-stress day of recovery.

That memory helps me through another kind of exhaustion. I pray for friends, friends of family, and family members who do not have jobs. There is no relief. My head aches, and muscles ache right down to the center of my bones. The days, years, go by and there are few answers, especially for the ones I love the most.

“Does the Lord hear?” ..... “Yes.”
“Is He going to answer?” ........ “Yes.”
“When?” ..................................... No answer.

Maybe there’s something the matter with my prayers, my meditations, my Bible readings. Maybe there are no answers because I’m not doing it right. Did I not pray long enough? Is there something within me that keeps prayer from being answered? Of course that’s true. Imperfect people, especially me, always fall short. Can friends help? Yes, but some of them are the ones I’m praying for. Family? Sometimes we talk, but that’s momentary relief. Church? People there have overwhelming concerns with entry-level Christians.

I keep picking the burden up. I can’t seem to stop worrying. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding.” I know the Lord is. I know He answers prayers. I know His love. Time to pray again, but “Lord, I’m so tired.”

“Trust. Lean not on your own understanding.” He’ll take care of it.

Prayer: Help Lord. Amen.

© V. Colclasure 2011

Don't Look Down

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.
Prov. 3:5 (NJKV)

My husband, and I, with another couple, spent the weekend at their hunting cabin deep in the Pennsylvania hills. During our stay we went hiking and came upon a fire tower. Our footsteps clanked loudly echoing through the hills as we noisily climbed, going around and around, until we reached the top.

We emerged high above the trees to witness a spectacular view. Certainly, the Fire Guard could spot suspicious smoke from here.

Upon descending, the others hurried ahead, but I wanted to take one more photo. After all, it’s not often you can see three states from one place: Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.

Starting down, I froze. I could see through the metal steps down to the ground. Terror gripped my heart. A call for help stuck in my throat. The others were far ahead, and their noisy exit drowned out my pitiful squeak for help.

Finally, Pat returned and saw my predicament. She advised, “Sit on this step. Look at me. Now scoot down the next step. Keep looking at me. Do not look down.” She continued coaching until I could manage.

Jesus called Peter to walk on water. Taking his eyes off Jesus, he sank. (Matt. 14:28-30). No matter what challenges come our way, the situation always looks worse when we focus on the problem and not on Jesus. As I needed to keep my eyes on Pat, we would do well to keep our eyes on Jesus and not the problem.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being our Savior and always available. Your mercy and love is greater than any problem. Forgive us when we fall short. Amen

© 2010 Lois Gosley